I’m still trying to wrap my head around how jaw-droppingly stunning the drive was, all tiny towns with white walls and fields divided by crumbling stone walls, when Mariana, the little girl who called me Christina’s boyfriend, grabs my arms and drags me into the white house with a red tiled roof that we’ve pulled up in frontof.
“Pressa, boyfriend!” sheurges.
I only get a vague impression of the inside of the house before we’re standing out on a huge balcony all arranged for dinner. A table has been set for at least a dozen people, and the white cloth flutters in the sea breeze I’ve been catching whiffs of for the past halfhour.
My attention doesn’t stay focused on the table for long, though. I step to the railing, Mariana still gripping my arm, and without thinking about it I go to reach for my camera. I feel a pang of disappointment so strong it’s like a physical ache when I realize I don’t have it withme.
The balcony perches on a cliff overlooking the ocean and all the clay roofs of the houses around us. The sun has just started to slip past the horizon. It sinks into the ocean, paining the waves with a pink glow that reflects on the white walls of the coastal town stretching below us. Looking out at the sea and listening to the waves crash against the rocks, I feel like I’ve just been told a secret, like this place is something precious I have toprotect.
I hear footsteps behind me and then Christina’s voice mutters something to Mariana. She darts away and Christina moves to fill her place beside me at therailing.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ she asks, drawing in a deep breath of oceanair.
“Beautiful doesn’t even cover it. I understand now, why this is your special place. Your safeplace.”
Her hand brushes against mine on the railing. “I bet you wish you had your camera rightnow.”
I let out a short laugh. “You know me too well,Dominguez.”
“I’m sorry if all this”—she jerks her head towards the inside of the house—“is getting overwhelming. I kind of just want to be alone with you right now, preferably drifting off to sleep, but we should probably give it at least an hour ortwo.”
“Sleeping would be nice, but hey, you’re here for your family and I’m here for you. I’ll do whatever you need me to, even if it means being stared down by your scary dad all throughdinner.”
Christina gives me a surprised look. “My dad is not scary! He seriously wouldn’t hurt afly.”
“Maybe not a fly, but I don’t really want to find out what he’s capable of doing with a guy he thinks is messing around with his daughter. I take it you told him what anidiotaIwas?”
I raise an eyebrow and sheblushes.
“Uh, yeah, I kind of filled him in. I didn’t have a chance to get him up to speed on your redeemingqualities.”
“I suggest you do that quickly. There’s way too many cliffs to be thrown off of aroundhere.”
Family members start emerging from inside, the ones we travelled with in the car now joined by a handful of others, and all of them carrying huge trays of food. Christina guides me to a seat and we all eat and drink until the sky darkens to an inky black and the lights of the town switch on to dot thecliffside.
The relatives who live in a house farther down the winding street say goodbye, and Christina’s aunt takes Mariana inside, followed by two protesting teenage brothers. Christina’s mom heads in next. She pokes her head out after a bit to say something inPortuguese.
“She said she has your bed ready,” Christina translates, “and that she’s sorry there isn’t more room in the house. You have to sleep on thecouch.”
I’m not stupid enough to say anything suggestive with her father sitting right across from us, but I run my hand over her thigh under the table and hope she knows how much I wish I was sleeping withher.
Christina’s uncle gets up, and we all join him as he finishes clearing the table. When everything is piled up in the kitchen, Christina points out the leather couch where I’ll be sleeping. It’s piled with pillows and blankets, along with a spare t-shirt, pair of shorts, a toothbrush, and atowel.
“I toldMamãeyou didn’t bring anything with you. You can borrow those, and tomorrow we’ll take youshopping.”
“Your family must think I’minsane.”
She nods. “Yeah, they do. I think they like you, though. Mariana said you’re veryexotic.”
“I’ve been called many things before, but notthat.”
She leans in to press a kiss to my cheek and I turn my head to capture her lips with mine. Her dad and uncle are just around the corner, but I risk pulling her closer and knotting my hands in her hair. We kiss until we’re breathless and have to breakapart.
“Any chance of me sneaking up to your room tonight? Iask.
“Don’t even think about it,” she warns. “You wouldn’t believe how loud the staircase creaks at night. I got caught trying to sneak out of the house severaltimes.”
“Bad girl, huh?” I squeeze her ass hard and she gasps before leaning in close to myear.
